If Tomorrow Never Comes
by Daphne B
Summary: A Garth Brooks song heard on the radio leads to a heated conversation between Juliette and Rayna. (Updated with the correct draft this time!)


Juliette let herself in through Rayna's front door. The "queen of country music" had just been putting away some breakfast foods. Closing the fridge as she turned around to catch who had joined her, the redhead's smile lit up her eyes when she saw the bewitching blonde walking toward the kitchen island.

"Hey! I wasn't expecting I'd get to see you today," Rayna held up a glass, silently offering Juliette something to drink as she welcomed her.

"You know that sappy Garth Brooks' song If Tomorrow Never Comes?" Juliette ignored the offer of refreshment as she tossed her oversized purse on a barstool.

"I love that song," Rayna said a bit wistfully.

"Of _course_ you do," Juliette sighed, more derisively than she realized.

"What? Why? Because my tastes are corny? Not fashionable?" Rayna's back went up fast, as it could and did only with Juliette. "Seriously, Juliette. It's a beautiful song, and I don't appreciate you comin' in here and …"

"You're missin my point" Juliette interrupted.

"Oh, so your point in dropping by unannounced wasn't just to insult my taste in music?"

"No…"

"Because you yourself have been doin' hard work movin' from tweeny little sparkly pants songs to serious music…"

Juliette knew that the more g's Rayna dropped, the more worked up she was getting.

"Tweeny sparkly pants songs? Nice one, Rayna." Juliette half-barked and fully drawled. And Rayna knew that when Juliette's voice shot up an octave and a half she was winding up for a spectacular stream of soon-to-be-regretted words.

"… to music that's about real emotions, Juliette."

"Oh, well, I'm glad you think I can at least _sing_ about real emotions. So glad I have the Rayna Jaymes seal of approval for my musical _emotions_." Juliette was both wagging her finger in the air like a petulant 15-year-old and seriously starting to regret having come over here today.

"You don't need my approval."

"You're damn right I don't."

"But you have it. 'Cause your damn talented. And you don't just _sing_ about real feelings, Juliette. Despite what you keep trying to make all of us believe. I know that you actually _feel_ things deeply. Even if you can't accept that If Tomorrow Never Comes is a beautiful, moving love song. Love, Juliette. Complicated, deep, real love."

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYIN' TO TELL YOU!"

Rayna wasn't sure if she actually stepped backwards, or just imagined the force of Juliette yelling was that strong. But she was certainly paying attention.

"Girl, what are you talkin' about?"

"It's a love song!"

Rayna just jutted her head forward slightly and made her eyes bigger, silently asking " _and…"_

Juliette threw up her hands. "I wasn't gonna come over today. It wasn't our day to see each other. And then I was drivin' to The Blue Bird to meet a new songwriter, and stupid old Garth Brooks comes on the radio in his stupid sappy voice singin' about 'if tomorrow never comes, will she know how much I love her'." Juliette looked at Rayna meaningfully.

After a few seconds of silence, Rayna asked cautiously, "okay?"

"Well. Would you? I mean. What if something bad happened? And I hadn't said anything? And then maybe you wouldn't know. I mean…. You know." Juliette was half-yelling again, irritated that Rayna didn't just _get it_ and was, of course, making her spell it out. "We've been doin' this thing for awhile now. Datin'. Sleepin' together. Whatever it is we're doing."

A shy, very pleased smile was slowly making it's way across Rayna's face. "And…"

"Oh my god you are impossible sometimes! And! And? And I love you, Rayna Jaymes. There! Are you happy? I said it." Juliette was back to emphasizing her words in what sounded to the uninitiated like anger, but Rayna knew was just Juliette still being uncomfortable making herself vulnerable.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really. Somewhere between when you were bein' a major pain in my ass and us," she waved her hand back and forth wildly, "you know…," more hand waving, "every week, apparently I fell in love with you. Though you're still kind of a pain in my ass." Juliette just couldn't let it be nice, though her voice had lost its fight.

Rayna stood there, studying the younger woman who'd spent the last few months slowly working her way deeper into the intimate recesses of her life. She hadn't quite expected this announcement. Still, her heart was now pounding double-time in her chest.

After Rayna didn't respond for a few seconds, Juliette reached for her bag. "Okay then. Heard the song. Wanted to tell you. Not getting' quite the response I was hopin for here. See ya later." She turned to retrace her steps to the front door before the embarrassment got any worse.

"Juliette," Rayna's voice was silky and low, stringing out the name like it was taffy.

The blonde stopped and half-turned to look back at the woman she'd just bared her soul to. Or at least that's what it felt like. But she didn't say anything. Just raised an eyebrow and crinkled her cute little nose in irritation—a self-protective move if ever Rayna saw one.

"I love you, too, you know."

"You don't have to say it just because I did."

Rayna tilted her head slightly in supplication. "I know that, Juliette. And you know I wouldn't do that." She narrowed her eyes at the stroppy young woman who was now fully facing her. "I said it because it's true. God help me, I've fallen in love with you, too."

A huge grin captured Juliette's face, from her pink-painted lips up to her sparkling eyes. "Wanna move in together?"


End file.
